Think Jaguar XJS and you think long. Physically long, though short on interior space, the model survived for almost 20 years.

And it inspires long-held memories - it seems more revered since it was superseded than when Jaguar dealers would part with them for many thousands off the sticker price.

It was always an extravagant car. Much of its length was given to housing a remarkably complex V12 engine. Six-cylinder power came only in the latter stages of the XJS's career.

Early cars quickly acquired a shocking reputation for both unreliability and fuel inefficiency. Sometimes the V12 failed, bringing huge bills.

More commonly, electrical maladies halted it. These were often expensive to remedy with working space around the engine at a premium and the layout not being optimal.

By the late '80s, the XJS coupe had improved. Serious advances were made with the XJS-HE a few years earlier (HE stood euphemistically, or at least relative to previous models, for High Efficiency).

Even the troublesome and inefficient XJS had to benefit from culture changes at Jaguar's old Coventry factory. But the rush towards quality was not as strong as Jaguar rhetoric of the period implied.

It was better, yes. Perfect, far from it. Nevertheless, a 1988 model was palpably better built and finished than a 1983 model, let alone a 1980 example.

To give the XJS coupe its due, it had an exclusive blend of styling and Jaguar ambience with E-Type memories to stir things along.

It was the last Jaguar in which founder Sir William Lyons played a role but few observers found it as graceful or bewitching as the smaller E-Type, which it replaced.

The late-'80s models deliver very smooth and quite strong performance, although the three-speed automatic transmission hardly permits the 5.3-litre engine to do its best work.

Quiet long-distance cruising for two is a forte though, in a leather-lined interior which cocoons each front seat occupant effectively in his or her own private tunnel on either side of the deep transmission hump.

Room behind the seats is negligible. And the boot, too, is smaller than you'd expect given the sheer length of the car. Wasteful is an adjective that presents itself, as do extravagant, irrelevant and anachronistic.

A superbly supple ride combines with handling that is reassuring until the XJS is driven really hard, when the car can become a handful.

The power steering is anaesthetised and far too light, which has the effect of further isolating the driver from the road this car is supposed to love.

Even without giving expensive trouble, then, the XJS's appeal is limited to those dazzled by the badge. And even despite improvements to its engine and fuel-injection system it still used far more fuel than it should - the three-speed auto not helping.

Tall gearing (it reached 160 km/h in second gear) was presumably intended to minimise both noise and fuel consumption, but it blunted acceleration. Despite the dozen cylinders beneath the bonnet, urge from a standing start was modest. The V12's major advantage over engines with fewer cylinders is smoothness rather than explosive performance.

The XJS demands scrupulous pre-purchase inspection.

Well before 100,000 km, an XJS is likely to show front end wear. Bushes and ball joints can get noisy and repairs are seldom cheap. The power steering rack is prone to fluid leaks. Transmission leaks may not need expensive repairs.

Electrical problems are legion. Power windows fail, indicator stalks break off in your hand, air-conditioning ceases to condition (and can cost $4,000 to rectify). Later models had electric seats, which may prove a mixed comfort.

The wood veneer around the ashtray and gear selector peels off or cracks - replacement can cost $800.